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The incidence of random, mass shootings in the U.S. is a subject under much speculation, especially when so many seem to have occurred in just the last few years. The last decade has seen plenty of violence on this scale and the recent Newtown shooting is close to the top of the list. What most of these shootings have in common is that they are perpetrated by men, they occur in public places, and most often the shooter commits suicide.

Blacksburg, Virginia, April 16, 2007
The shooting by 23-year-old Seung-Hui Cho, a student at Virginia Tech ranks as the deadliest mass shooting perpetrated by a single gunman in U.S. history, not just of the last decade. He killed 32 people and injured 17 on the Blacksburg, Virginia campus in two separate incidents before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide. Most of the casualties occurred inside of classroom buildings and a handful of students were injured a while escaping through windows. Cho had a history of mental illness and had been accused of stalking other students before the incident.

Newtown, Connecticut, December 14, 2012
The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown is the second deadliest of the last ten years, and for many, the most disturbing. Adam Lanza, 20 years old, entered the kindergarten through fourth grade school building with an assault rifle and two handguns and killed 26 people, including 20 young children. Lanza took the guns from his mother’s house and killed her before shooting others at the school. Before he could be apprehended, Lanza committed suicide.

Binghamton, New York, April 3, 2009
The third deadliest shooting of the last decade occurred in Binghamton, New York at the American Civic Association immigration center. Jiverly Wong, a 41-year-old naturalized citizen, originally from Vietnam, shot and killed 13 people and injured four others before killing himself. He had taken English language classes at the center and the victims were his fellow students and one former teacher. Wong had registered guns and a history of struggling to find work and to keep jobs.

Fort Hood, Texas, November 5, 2009
Nidal Malik Hasan, 39 and a major in the U.S. Army opened fire and killed 13 people on November 5, 2009 at Fort Hood in a shooting that was as deadly as the incident in Binghamton. He also injured 32 people at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center. Hasan worked as a psychologist in the Army and, unlike, most mass shooters, did not commit suicide. He was apprehended and charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder as well as 32 counts of attempted murder.

Aurora, Colorado, July 20, 2012
James Holmes, 24-year-old graduate student at the University of Colorado, opened fire on the audience at a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” at a theater in Aurora. Before shooting, he threw a gas canister into the theater. He was dressed in body armor, a helmet, and a gas mask and killed 12 people while injuring multiple others. Holmes has been charged with 24 counts of first degree murder and 116 counts of attempted murder.

Mary Ellen Ellis is a career writer for Paralegal411, a career resource for individuals interesting in starting a career in the paralegal field including school information and a paralegal job board.

2 Responses

The mass shooters create a lot of terror in the country, but in terms of the actual loss of life, they actually pale in comparison to the armed criminals who commit daily crimes throughout the country. Just the drive-by shootings by gang bangers in Chicago, where probably at least 200 people per year are killed, account for a lot more deaths than these mass shootings. The main difference between the mass shooter and the armed criminal is that the mass shooter is usually a law abiding citizen with no criminal record, and the criminal usually has a long history of crime. There’s another difference – the mass shooter knows that when he goes out to commit his murder, his life is basically over because he either ends up dead or spends the rest of his life in prison, which is probably worse than death. The armed criminal doesn’t go out to commit a crime, thinking his life is over.

March Spotlights

Goodreads

This Day in Crime History

Aug. 23: 2007: Manuel Villagomez was shot to death while pushing an ice cream cart in the 300 block of Grant Avenue in Joliet, IL. Monta Travis was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Curtis Russell Jr. pled guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison

Aug. 24: 1993: David Edwin Mason was executed in San Quentin State Prison. He was convicted of 4 murders, but believed to have committed more.

Aug. 24: 2013: Luis Gonzalez was shot to death in the 700 block of Coate Court SW in Grand Rapids, MI. Juan Diego Chavarria has been charged with his murder.

Aug. 25: 2013: Herman Manigault III, 20, was shot outside A Place in the Woods at 1020 Hamlin Corner Road in Berkeley County, SC. Shaquille Mileak Jamal Washington has been charged with his murder.

August 27: 2009: Dave Laut was shot to death in his Oxnard, CA backyard. His wife, Jane Laut, has been arrested for his murder.

Recent or upcoming notable trials and sentencings

Upcoming or Current TrialsIndianaMicah Harrison on trial for the murder of his 2-year-old son, Michael HarrisonUtah - John Brickman Wall's trial for the murder of his wife, Uta von Schwedler - 2/17/2015.

Recent convictions or guilty pleas: Florida - Tyler Hadley pled no contest to the murder of his parents, Blake and Mary Jo HadleyNorth Carolina - Amanda Hayes on trial for the murder of Laura Ackerson New York - Clayton Whittemore convicted of the murder of Alexandra Kogut

Florida Randy Chaviano had his murder conviction overturned due to the trial transcripts being erased by the court stenographer. No trial date has been set yet.

Upcoming SentencingsFlorida - Tyler Hadley for the murder of his parents, Blake and Mary Jo Hadley - March 10Utah - Eric Millerberg for the murder of Alexis Rasmussen - March 18UtahEsar Met for the murder of Hser Ner Moo - May 7New York - Clayton Whittemore for the murder of Alexandra Kogut - July 16